The 10 Best Tents For Cycle Touring In 2024

Looking to find out which are the best tents for cycle touring in 2024? You’re in the right place! In this guide, I’ll be showcasing 10 of the most popular and best-loved options, with information on what makes them so great for touring, their weight, price and more.

What tent do I use for cycle touring? I personally use the Quechua Quickhiker Ultralight 2 Tent. It’s super lightweight, quick to pitch and take down, and just an all-around great tent. Sadly, this tent now seems to be discontinued, although the Forclaz Ultralight 2-Person Tunnel Tent is almost identical.

The 10 best tents for cycle touring

Here’s the lowdown on the best tents for cycle touring, including tunnel tents, dome tents and a bivvy-style model.

Vango Nevis 200 (£155)

While the Vango Nevis 200 may not be the lightest tent on this list, it is incredible value for money at just £140. If you’re new to cycle touring and don’t want to spend a fortune on gear, you can’t go too far wrong with this. It’s waterproof, has good ventilation, and would even make a decent wild camping companion, thanks to its low profile and green colour scheme.

Weight: 2.02kg

✔ Great budget option
✔ Good for stealthy wild camping
✔ Easy to pitch and take down

Forclaz Ultralight 2 Person Tunnel Tent (£219.99)

The Forclaz Ultralight 2 Person Tunnel Tent is almost identical to my trusty Quechua Quickhiker, which is why I’m recommending it here. The 1-pole design makes it quick and easy to pitch, plus it’s lightweight and packs up reasonably small. And, at just £220, it’s pretty decent value for money. The 2-berth version of this is a little claustrophobic for 2 people, but it’s plenty spacious for a solo cyclist.

✔ Good budget option
✔ 1 pole design for speedy pitching
✔ Small and compact

Weight: 1.75kg

Winterial Single Person Bivvy Tent (£135)

The Winterial Single Person Bivvy Tent is a real bikepacking tent. Ideal for ultralight solo cyclists, this glorified bivvy bag is super lightweight and low on fuss. Its low profile and forest green colouring make it ideal for stealthy wild camping as it blends nicely into the environment. It’s super easy to set up, taking less than 5 minutes — simply install the two aluminium poles and stake down the corners of the tent. The Winterial Single Person Bivvy Tent is good for 3 seasons, so it will see you comfortably on cycle tours from spring to autumn.

✔ Excellent for stealthy wild camping
✔ Quick to pitch
✔ Ultra lightweight

Weight: 1.31kg

Alpkit Ordos 2 (£219.99)

The Ordos 2 is Alpkit’s lightest 2-person tent, packing down to just 1.4kg. It has collapsible poles so it packs up small and compact — about the size of a 1.5-litre bottle — making it easy to secure to your bike’s handlebars. The central ridgeline design creates a stable yet spacious shelter, offering maximum living space while maintaining its low weight. Plus, the tent has a vestibule for storing luggage, as well as hang loops and pockets in the interior for further storage.

✔ Ultra lightweight
✔ Handle-bar friendly pack size
✔ Spacious with vestibules and interior pockets for storage

Weight: 1.4 kg

Vaude Lizard (€650)

At just 1.13kg, the Vaude Lizard is seriously light. This, coupled with its low profile and green colour scheme, makes it ideal for stealth camping. Despite the compact size and featherweight design, the tent is fully waterproof and rated for three-season use.

✔ Ultra lightweight
✔ Great for stealthy wild camping
✔ Excellent build quality

Weight: 1.13 kg

MEC Spark 2.0 (CA$474.95)

The Spark 2.0 is a dome tent from Canadian outdoor brand MEC. Set up is fast and easy, thanks to the thoughtful design and clear colour coding. It balances weight and size well, providing room for two cyclists, or ample room for a solo rider. And, with two vestibules, there’s plenty of room for luggage storage.

The Spark is also great value for money: it’s designed in-house by Canada’s largest gear co-op, so is quite a bit cheaper than similar tents. You’ll also be pleased to know that this tent is rated for three-season use and holds up impressively well in heavy rain.

Weight: 1.75 kg

✔ Great value for money
✔ Spacious with vestibules and interior pockets for storage
✔ Quick and easy to pitch, thanks to clear colour coding

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Bikepack ($579.95)

Given the fast-growing popularity of bikepacking, it’s not surprising to see bikepacking-specific tents start to pop up. The Copper Spur HV UL2 Bikepack from US brand Big Agnes is one such tent, designed to have a handlebar-friendly pack size and a low weight.

The Copper Spur offers a good balance between weight and size, making it a comfortable cycle touring tent for two people. It has two doors and vestibules, plenty of headroom to sit up, and interior pockets for storage. In addition to its spacious interior, it’s also easy to pitch and take down — an all-around great tent.

✔ Specifically designed for cycle tourists and bikepackers
✔ Spacious with vestibules and interior pockets for storage
✔ Handle-bar friendly pack size

Weight: 1.59 kg

Terra Nova Laser Compact 2 (£600)

Another great option for bikepackers and wild campers, the Terra Nova Laser Compact 2 has a low profile and a dark green colour scheme. It’s not cheap at £600, but it’s been tried and tested and has even won awards. It’s safe to say that the Laser Compact 2 will be a long-lasting, reliable touring companion.

The tent pitches all-in-one, with the flysheet and inner attached, making it quick and easy to pitch. With a low weight and a small pack size of 30x15cm, the Laser Compact 2 is ideally sized for a handlebar bag. Despite its low weight and small size, it’s rated for three-season use and has two porches for storing gear. It will be quite cosy for two cyclists but plenty spacious for a solo rider.

✔ Great for stealthy wild camping
✔ Handle-bar friendly pack size
✔ Excellent build quality

Weight: 1.59 kg

MSR Hubba Hubba NX (£540)

The MSR Hubba Hubba NX is perhaps the most recommended series of tents among cycle tourists. It’s lightweight, it packs up small, it’s spacious with plenty of headroom and it has ample vestibule space for storing luggage. On top of that, the tent is very durable, with high-quality weatherproofing, good ventilation, and overall great build quality. What more could a cycle tourist want? The 2-berth version will likely be the model of choice for most cyclists, while the 1-berth model will suit ultralight cyclists and the 3-berth for a pair of riders.

✔ One of the most recommend tents among cycle tourists
✔ Spacious with a vestibule for storing luggage
✔ Excellent build quality

Weight: 1.72 kg

MSR Elixir 2 (£340)

While the above MSR Hubba Hubba NX is one of the very best tents for cycle touring, the £515 price point might not suit everyone’s budget. This is where the MSR Elixir 2 comes in. The Elixir is also a high-quality MSR tent, and the £200 saving is likely worth it to those who aren’t too bothered about saving on weight. At 2.77kg, it’s the heaviest tent on this list, but it doesn’t sacrifice on quality or durability.

✔ Cheaper alternative to the much-loved Hubba Hubba NX
✔ Great build quality
✔ Spacious with a vestibule for storing luggage

Weight: 2.77 kg

More great tents for cycle touring

Not enough choice in my list above? Here are some more options to look into:

• OEX Salamanda Bivi Tent
• Wild Country Zephyros Compact 2
• REI Co-op Quarter Dome 2
• Nemo Hornet 2P
• Sierra Designs Meteor 3000
• Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2
• Vango F10 Hydrogen Air Tent

Which tent(s) have you enjoyed using on cycle tours? Let me know in the comments below!

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